Basically, Brandon Stark might actually be the Night King. Before you throw your smartphone, tablet or laptop out the window in protest, allow us explain.

As far as special abilities go, Bran is by far the most gifted in all of Westeros. Not only can he travel to the past and the future, but he can also inhabit—or warg into—the consciousness of all living things, man or beast. We saw examples of both last season, when he warged into Hodor’s mind and when he watched a young Ned Stark at the Tower of Joy.

But the event that anchors the theory that Bran is actually the Night King unfolded in the season six flashback at the weirwood tree, when Bran watched as the Children of the Forest stabbed one of the First Men with dragonglass and turned him into the Night King. But what if Bran was doing more than watching? What if he warged into the future Night King in an attempt to stop the White Walkers from being created and was never able to leave?

“When he realized he failed again, he tries to go back in the current timeline, but can’t because he’s too deep into the past and stayed to long (“it is beautiful beneath the sea, stay too long and you drown”). From here Bran gets stuck in the past (exactly as Brynden and Jojen warned him not to) and becomes the Night king. With the combination of the Children’s magic and Bran;s power, he becomes the villian instead of the hero he tried to be, resulting in turning against the children for creating him and getting stuck behind the magical Wall he later builds as Bran the builder.”

If Bran is in fact the Night King, it would explain how he knows exactly where to be when his services are required. It would also explain how he knew to bring dragon-killing spears and chains big enough to haul a dead dragon out of the water in last week’s episode.

It would also mean that human Bran is trying to warn everyone about—himself? Yes, it’s confusing, but matters related to time travel often are. And a twist this monumental would be worthy of a show that’s been bending our minds from the very beginning.